As Amos the
“herdsman” prophet continued to share why “Israel”
was to be judged by the LORD, he used the illustration of the
reactions of “a lion” and a “young
lion” when “food” was captured. In chapter three
and verse five of his prophesy, Amos used the comparison of “a
bird” caught “in a snare” to further describe
“Israel's” insubordination where we read:
Can a bird
fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is
for him?
The
verse begins, “Can a bird fall in a snare
upon the earth, where no gin is
for him?” Amos began with the words “Can
a bird fall” or “Is a fowl or sparrow
able to lie, be cast down, fail, be knocked out or made inferior”
“in a snare” which
means “a trap or source of calamity” “upon
the earth” or “land, country, territory,
district or region”, “where no gin”
which refers to “bait, lure or a hook” “is
for him” or “set for the bird”. A
“bird” doesn't
fall or fly into a “net or trap” that has never been set.
The verse goes on to say, “shall
one take up a
snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all?” Amos
added, “shall one take up”
which means “go up, ascend, climb, spring up, grow or shoot forth”
“as snare” or “as
a trap or source of calamity” “from the
earth” which refers to “the ground, land,
country, territory, district or region”, “and
have taken” which means “captured, seized
and caught” “nothing at all”
or “”. People do not attempt to gain from a “net or trap”
that hasn't caught anything.
When
we think through these words of Amos, we see his second illustration
employed to describe the guilt of Israel. As bird hunters do not
catch birds when they never set traps for them and find it useless to
attempt to obtain “prey” from an empty trap, so it was with
Israel. The idea is that “Israel” was found in the “trap”
of disobedience, and they were to be judged for it otherwise there
would be no reason for “punishment”. They were “caught”
in the trap that was set, and they were to face the “punishment”
of God for it. Jesus Christ came to release us from the “trap”
of sin, and those who “rely upon, trust in and cling to” Him will
find no judgment against them. May all who read these words be
“released” from the “traps” of life that the enemy of our
soul has set against them.
Next
time Amos shares about “a
trumpet and evil in the city”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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